If your life was a song, what would it sound like? In the case of Gerald Barkley, it would be an elevator jingle. Barkley's never been the most memorable guy. Even as a longtime Los Angeles homicide detective, people tend to forget him. And when his death draws near in the form of a rare blood disease, he has to wonder...will anyone notice when he's gone? Add to that Barkley's latest case: The mysterious death of Julian Strange, a rock-and-roll icon with an obsession for cats. Renowned as a wild performer and a dabbler in the odd, Strange procured a copy of the world's oldest song. What does it have to do with his death? And what will Gerald Barkley learn from it all? The debut novel from speculative fiction author Kyle A. Massa, "Gerald Barkley Rocks" examines music, fame, mortality, and the strangeness that composes them all. One part detective story, one part rock-and-roll elegy, and one part supernatural comedy, this book might just change your outlook on life—and death.

There’s no monster under your bed, but there are several in this book. The first short story collection from “Gerald Barkley Rocks” author Kyle A. Massa, “Monsters at Dusk” offers answers to several important questions, such as: - Do vampires use Snapchat? - What happens when a demonic cat declares war on God and Satan? - Is someone drinking your memories? If so, are they tasty? - If a mad scientist offers to build you a set of wings, should you accept? - Can sports franchises set in epic fantasy worlds make better hiring decisions than real ones? - How would the American legal system handle werewolves? - What is a Megrim and why does it keep taking everyone’s kids? Balancing fantasy, science fiction, horror, and humor, each of the collection’s 10 stories concerns a different monster—some familiar, some original, some literal, some metaphorical, all strange and wonderful in their own way.

Do Mickey and Minnie have sexual tension? Are mutton chop sideburns making a comeback? Is karaoke the purest form of self-expression? These questions might not bother you, reader, but they happen to bother me. Perhaps a little too much. I’m Kyle, by the way. Hello. I wrote this book. Inside its pages, you’ll find 22 funny essays on subjects such as the following: - Being a new parent - Accidentally founding a boy band on a cruise ship - Getting angry at Philadelphia Eagles fans - Admiring my grandparents’ belief in werewolves - Celebrating my favorite West Coast portable toilet manufacturer I wrote Mild Buffoonery as a fan of Jenny Lawson and David Sedaris, so if you like their stories, you might like mine, too. Some are embarrassing, some are heartfelt, and some are just plain weird. All of them are true.

Religion is a funny thing. Especially when you accidentally create your own. Eccentric young writer Zeggara “Egg” East has done just that, much to the chagrin of her devout mother. Egg’s new religion is called “Penguinism” and it’s proving far more popular than anyone—even the immortal Ageless—could’ve imagined. And the thing about deities is, they don’t appreciate a rival dogma. Now everyone’s choosing sides in the coming conflict, including a tea-slurping tyrant, a guy with 12 gifts, and the God of Waste Management. So when Egg and her mother pick opposing factions, Egg has to wonder…can they reconcile, or will religion keep them apart forever? Perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett, Christopher Moore, and Douglas Adams, Eggs for the Ageless is a comic fantasy novel about family, faith, and waddling—not necessarily in that order.

Twelve-year-old Emily is facing not only the loss of her grandmother but her grandmother's farm, as well. She retreats to her favourite spot, a rock ledge overlooking the prairie, where, to her surprise, she finds a girl from the past. Through the magic of kindred spirits, Emily is transported back to the days when pioneers homesteaded in the same spot where her grandmother's farm stands.

This in-depth study offers a new examination of a region that is often overlooked in political histories of the Bluegrass State. George G. Humphreys traces the arc of politics and the economy in western Kentucky from avid support of the Democratic Party to its present-day Republican identity. He demonstrates that, despite its relative geographic isolation, the region west of the eastern boundary of Hancock, Ohio, Butler, Warren, and Simpson Counties to the Mississippi River played significant roles in state and national politics during the New Deal and postwar eras. Drawing on extensive archival research and oral history interviews, Humphreys explores the area's political transformation from a solid Democratic voting bloc to a conservative stronghold by examining how developments such as advances in agriculture, the diversification of the economy, and the civil rights movement affected the region. Addressing notable deficiencies in the existing literature, this impressively researched study will leave readers with a deeper understanding of post-1945 Kentucky politics.